DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT S CABINET Minutes Meeting date: June 19, 2017 Members in attendance: President William LaForge, Dr. Vernell Bennett, Mr. Patrick Hundley, Dr. Chris Jurgenson, Mr. Ronnie Mayers, Mr. Jamie Rutledge, and Ms. Christie Rocconi (Ms. Claire Cole recorder) Members not in attendance: Dr. Leslie Griffin, Dr. Charles McAdams, Ms. Allie Rose Parker, and Dr. Michelle Roberts Guests: Mr. Jeff Barkman, Director, Facilities Management Mr. Cal Crawford, Academic Coach, Student Athlete Support Services Mr. Barkley Faulkner, Compliance and Operations Coordinator, Athletics Ms. Dana George, Senior Executive Associate A.D. for Compliance, Academics, and Internal Operations, Athletics Ms. Ashley Griffin, President, Student Government Association Ms. Abby Havard, Assistant Athletic Trainer, Athletics Mr. Jeffrey Johns, Chief, Police Department Mr. Matt Jones, Senior Associate A.D. for External Relations, Athletics Mr. Mike Kinnison, Head Coach, Baseball Ms. Cindy Kinnison, Director, Diamond Girls Mr. Craig Lyons, Graduate Assistant, Athletics Ms. Kaitlin Moore, Academic Coach, Student Athlete Support Services Mr. Eric Patten, Assistant Baseball Coach, Athletics Ms. Kim Pongetti, Administrative Assistant, Athletics Mr. David Pryor, Assistant A.D. for Sports Medicine, Athletics Mr. Fred Sington, Assistant Director of External Relations, Athletics Mr. Philip Tang, Assistant for External Relations, Athletics Mr. Roger Tollison, Graduate Assistant for Sports Medicine, Athletics Mr. J.T. Webb, Assistant for External Relations, Athletics Call to Order: A regular meeting of the President s Cabinet was held in the President s Conference Room on June 19, 2017. The meeting convened at 1:30 p.m. with President LaForge presiding. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES On motion by Dr. Jurgenson, seconded by Mr. Rutledge, all Cabinet Members present and participating voted unanimously to approve the Minutes of the Cabinet Meeting held on June 12, 2017. GENERAL OVERVIEW Cabinet Members extended their appreciation and gratitude to the Athletics staff for their stellar performance in hosting two baseball tournaments in two weeks. President LaForge thanked the
Athletics staff and expressed his pride for the 2017 Statesmen baseball team. Mr. Mayers stated it is a pleasure to work with the staff, and he couldn t do his job without them. Coach Mike Kinnison thanked the Athletics staff on behalf of the baseball team for their efforts in making the tournaments a success, and he thanked the administration for seeing the importance of this event for the university. Coach Kinnison stated Delta State put its best foot forward in hosting the tournaments, and they were run as they should have been. President LaForge also thanked Ms. Cindy Kinnison for her excellent work with the Diamond Girls. Dr. Bennett announced incoming SGA President Miss Ashley Griffin won the 2017 Miss Black Leflore County pageant and will vie for the State Title at the 2018 Miss Black Mississippi USA Scholarship Pageant. President LaForge gave an overview of the Transfer II Orientation session. He stated the session went well and students were engaged. Dr. Bennett reiterated President LaForge s statement from last week that numbers are down from last year s totals. President LaForge met with Commissioner Boyce last week to discuss the new President s home. Commissioner Boyce plans to organize a meeting of Delta State officials, IHL staff, and members of the Bureau of Buildings to discuss potential funding options since a bond bill was not passed by the Legislature. President LaForge traveled to Jackson last week for the IEO and IHL Board meetings. During the IEO meeting, several important topics were discussed including the Compete 2 Complete Initiative and Mission IT. The Compete 2 Complete Initiative launches on June 26. This program offers alumni of IHL universities a chance to finish their degree. Through the Adult Degree Completion program, students who have earned at least 90 credit hours and have not attended a postsecondary institution in the past twenty four months are eligible for the program. The State will pay money to each institution to offset the costs. In order to garner attention for the program, a marketing firm will call students to pitch the idea to them. The tax credit that funds Mission IT expires in June 2018 and the contract to provide state telecommunication services also expires. An RFP has been approved by the ITS Board and they hope to publish it by July to finalize the contract with a vendor by December 2017. The research universities already use the broadband network, but the regional universities will enjoy the upgraded storage and bandwidth upon the start of a new contract. Additionally, the IEOs discussed in-state and out-of-state students. It was reported that 47% of all students in the IHL system were out-of-state students for 2016-17. As few as 800 of Mississippi s students are attending college out of state. President LaForge met with Commissioner Cecil Brown and Ms. Susan Watkins of the Mississippi Public Service Commission to discuss an education initiative with utility companies. The Mississippi Public Service Commission wants to urge students to consider a career in utility companies as there is a great need for employees in the industry. Dr. Bennett and Dr. McAdams will speak with Career Services and Enrollment Management about ways to help with this initiative. Mr. Hundley gave a report on the Mississippi Society of D.C. s Mississippi on the Mall event. Assistant Alumni Director Melissa Love and First Lady Nancy LaForge attended the event to represent Delta State. Mr. Hundley stated the event was well attended. President LaForge attended The Most Southern Place on Earth reception hosted by the National Endowment for the Humanities yesterday marking the eighth year for the program. The Delta Center for Culture and Learning and the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area host educators from across the U.S. for a week-long workshop on the Mississippi Delta and its culture. Mr. Rutledge gave Cabinet Members an overview of the Legislative Facilities Tour. He stated this annual event presents the IHL Real Estate committee, the Bureau of Buildings, and the House and Senate Public Property committees a chance to see the university s needs with regards to facilities. During the visit, Mr. Rutledge and Mr. Jeff Barkman will present our needs through a PowerPoint presentation and give a tour of campus. Afterwards, there will be a dinner for the group. Mr. Rutledge 2
plans to show them current needs such as ADA compliance issues; in-progress projects such as Zeigel Hall and Young-Mauldin Cafeteria; and, future projects such as Walter Sillers Coliseum. Mr. Rutledge s goal is to make them aware of the hardship the university faces in not receiving bond money. President LaForge gave an overview of the upcoming week. President LaForge and Mr. Keith Fulcher will travel to Jackson on Thursday to meet with Ambassador John Palmer to discuss the Capital Campaign. President LaForge, the Executive Committee, and Mr. Ronnie Mayers will meet with two representatives from the Cleveland Country Club on Thursday to discuss the golf course. On Thursday evening, President LaForge will attend the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi event A Conversation with Shannon McNally. On Saturday, President LaForge departs for vacation. CABINET TOPIC None BUSINESS Action Hiring Requests... Dr. McAdams/Mr. Mayers In response to the Cabinet s decision that only those vacant positions deemed essential to university operations will be filled, and that requests to fill these essential positions be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Cabinet, Mr. Rutledge, in the absence of Dr. McAdams, and Mr. Mayers brought to Cabinet several positions for consideration. The positions presented do not impact the salary savings identified previously to offset the mid-year budget cuts. Academic Affairs Requests The Division of Languages and Literature requests to search for and hire an Assistant Professor of English for FY18 due to resignation. The Division wants to hire a one-year replacement and then search for a tenure-track assistant professor next year. Motion: Moved by Mr. Rutledge to approve the searching and hiring of an Assistant Professor of English and seconded by Mr. Mayers. This motion was approved. Athletics Requests The Department of Athletics requests to search for and hire for FY18 an Assistant Baseball Coach and Head Golf Coach. Motion: Moved by Mr. Mayers to approve the searching and hiring of an Assistant Baseball Coach and Head Golf Coach and seconded by Ms. Rocconi. This motion was approved. Compensation for Head Baseball Coach... Mr. Mayers Mr. Mayers shared with Cabinet Members several of Coach Mike Kinnison s accolades. In his 21 seasons as head coach, Coach Kinnison has guided the Statesmen baseball team to the 2004 NCAA National title, six College World Series appearances, 13 NCAA South Regional appearances, 11 GSC Western Division titles, 12 NCAA South/South Central Regional championships, and seven Gulf South Conference titles. Coach Kinnision received the ABCA National Coach of the Year for the second time in his career in 2017. He has been named the GSC Coach of the Year seven times and appropriately named Coach of the Decade by the GSC in 2010. In 2011, Coach Kinnsion was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, the 3
highest honor an athlete or coach can receive in Mississippi. Given Coach Kinnison s years of service and many achievements, Mr. Mayers recommended raising Coach Kinnsion s salary to above the average salary package for a GSC head baseball coach, which is $86,668 including bonuses, allowances, speaking fees, retirement, memberships, media income, tuition reimbursement, etc. President LaForge stated this request falls after the budget cycle and is a substantial increase. To preserve our IHL approved operating budget, the salary increase will be paid for by Foundation funds for the next two years. After two years, the university will re-evaluate the budget situation to determine if the Foundation will continue to pay a portion of Coach Kinnison s salary. President LaForge reminded Cabinet Members this salary increase is not just for one great season, but is for his stellar career. Motion: Moved by Mr. Mayers to increase the salary of the Head Coach of Baseball and seconded by Mr. Rutledge. The motion was approved with one dissenting vote. Discussion Budget Summary... Mr. Rutledge Mr. Rutledge informed Cabinet Members that Delta State s FY18 operating budget was approved by IHL. He brought to Cabinet two handouts to show the comparison of our operating budget versus the entire IHL system s operating budget. The IHL system budget increased for FY18, even with the state budget cuts, due to increased enrollment for Mississippi State University and University of Mississippi. The IHL System and regional universities (ASU, DSU, MUW, MVSU), as a whole, showed a decrease in the money allotted to instruction and academic support, but Delta State increased their budget in both areas. Mr. Rutledge presented to Cabinet Members a graph detailing the change in state appropriations received for the last fifteen years. In 2003, Delta State was funded 61% by state appropriations and 39% by tuition. Now, we are funded 53% by tuition and 47% by appropriations. President LaForge stated it is rumored the state could possibly have shortcomings in revenue in FY18 of up to $140 million. Summer Enrollment... President LaForge President LaForge shared with Cabinet Members the enrollment totals for Summer 2013 through Summer 2017. President LaForge pointed out the steady decrease in enrollment for Summer II including more than a two hundred-student decrease from Summer 2016 to Summer 2017. An effort to boost summer enrollment needs to occur in the upcoming academic year. Ms. Rocconi informed Cabinet Members that year-round Pell Grant support will return this year, which will allow students to have additional financial aid for summer courses. Employee Morale... President LaForge President LaForge shared with Cabinet Members a conversation from a recent Executive Committee meeting on ways to boost employee morale. With employees not receiving pay raises due to state budget cuts, the Executive Committee wants to find substantive ways to show their appreciation to all employees. A suggestion was purchasing polo shirts for all employees to enjoy and wear on Green Fridays. President LaForge asked Cabinet Members for additional suggestions. A few suggestions included: allowing employees to leave work early occasionally on Friday afternoons; engaging faculty and staff members with a lunch or coffee hosted by the President; additional teaching awards for faculty; informal, college-wide or division-wide party for faculty or staff a place to bring friends and family; and, more one-on-one time with President LaForge. President LaForge thanked them for their ideas and requested any new ideas be sent to him. 4
Case Summary... President LaForge Due to time constraints, President LaForge tabled the Case Summary discussion until the next Cabinet meeting. Cabinet Advance... President LaForge President LaForge informed Cabinet Members of the suggested topics for Cabinet Advance: Campus Master Plan, Capital Campaign, Budget issues, and an update on Visioning. A half-day will be spent on each topic, and additional time will be made for smaller individualized topics. President LaForge reminded Cabinet Members of the dates for Cabinet Advance Tuesday, July 25 and Wednesday, July 26. He stated that more information will be presented closer to time. INFORMATIONAL/CALENDAR ITEMS: Legislative Facilities Tour, June 19, 3:00 pm, President s Conference Room EAB presentation, Creating a Path to Increased Transfer Enrollment, June 26, 1:00 am-4:00 pm, Simmons Room Mayors Summit, July 12, Simmons Room Cabinet Advance (FY18 Cabinet Members), July 25-26, Sanders Studio Convocation, August 17, 3:00 pm, BPAC Welcome Back luncheon, August 18, 12:00 noon, Second Floor, H.L. Nowell Union NEXT MEETING: Next Cabinet Meeting Monday, July 10 at 2:30 p.m. Next Cabinet Meeting Topic TBD Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 3:00 5